1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to cream to powder compositions that are applied topically as a cream and dry to a powder or powder-like consistency or feel on skin. The composition may be produced from a limited number of naturally-derived, naturally-processed, GRAS (generally recognized as safe), biodegradable ingredients, and have good spreadability (like a cream), while providing a soft powdery feel (like a powder).
2. Description of Related Art
Personal care compositions have progressed and created a large chemical industry devoted to developing new synthetic emulsifiers, suspending agents, viscosity-controlling agents, etc. to achieve ever improving solids-containing products for the consumer. There are currently over ten thousand different synthetic chemicals used in personal care products intended for use on human skin. Although these synthetic chemicals have been tested on animals at some stage, they have never been tested for long term health affects either individually or in combination. Even the majority of those that actually have been found to cause an adverse health effect to some members of the population can still be used.
Personal care solids-containing formulations typically include multiple synthetic ingredients, many of which have suspected human health risks as indicated by peer-reviewed third-party scientific literature. For example, hydroxyethyl acrylate/sodium acrylate acryloyldimethyl taurate copolymer, aluminum starch octenylsuccinate, methylisothiazolinone, PEG-20 methyl glucose seqsquistearate, and capryl glycol are examples of ethoxylated synthetic ingredients commonly found in personal care solids-containing formulations. In addition, parabens; glycols; phthalates; and other ethoxylated ingredients such as sodium myreth sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, PEGs (polyethylene glycol) and PPGs (polypropylene glycol); ethanolamines such as DEAs (diethanolamine), MEAs (monoethanolamine), TEAs (triethanolamine); synthetic polymers such as PVP (polyvinylpyrrolidone) and acrylates; and formaldehyde donors such as DMDM hydantoin, diazolidinyl urea and methylisothiazolinone are often employed. Significant fractions of volatile components (e.g., more volatile than water) are also often employed in such compositions to achieve desired characteristics.
In addition to numerous synthetic ingredients, many personal care formulations may have otherwise natural ingredients that are synthetically-derived or processed. Processes such as ethoxylation, sulfination or polymerization have the potential to change the chemical make-up of ingredients that start out natural, but may not properly be characterized as such after processing. These types of processes dilute or change the composition of an ingredient, can involve caustic solvents, impurities and can leave residual compounds behind. Natural, ecological processes such as distillation, condensation, extraction, steam distillation, pressure cooking and hydrolysis are desirable where it is desired to maximize the purity of natural ingredients.
Because of a desire to use renewable resources and to eliminate contact with potentially harmful synthetic materials, natural-based personal care compositions are gaining increasing interest. Most of these personal care compositions contain only some natural ingredients with the majority of their components being synthetic. One difficulty in formulating all-natural (or nearly all-natural) personal care compositions is achieving acceptable consumer performance with a limited number of raw materials. The number of all-natural ingredients available is scarce when compared to the number of highly developed synthetic emulsifiers, synthetic moisturizers, emollients, and other synthetic ingredients.
For example, existing personal care solids-containing compositions that include only naturally-derived, naturally-processed, GRAS, biodegradable ingredients are not able to effectively suspend a solid powder such as corn starch in a formulation that can be applied to skin as a cream, which shortly thereafter dries to a powdery-like feel. For example, existing compositions typically include some natural ingredients (such as corn starch), but then include synthetic ethoxylated suspending agents (e.g., acrylate copolymers) to keep such solids from settling. Existing personal care solids-containing compositions do not have at least 95% of the components of the product originating from renewable sources found in nature. Moreover, existing personal care solids-containing compositions do not have at least 95% of the components derived from natural, ecological processes. Embodiments of the present invention provide a personal care solids-containing composition that overcomes the disadvantages and shortcomings associated with those of the prior art.